Rob Simmons’ new Waratahs teammates have helped him feel right at home as the axed Queensland Red prepares for a return to Suncorp Stadium with the Wallabies.

The Wallabies lock was flicked after nine seasons with the Reds in June, and long-time rivals NSW offered him a two-year contract lifeline in August.

Simmons has been an occasional starter for Michael Cheika’s Wallabies, where he has got to know his new Super Rugby teammates on a different level.

He is in camp with the Wallabies on the Gold Coast this week, ahead of Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup dead rubber.

“Yeah we’ve looked after him; taken him on a few coffee dates,” Wallabies and NSW playmaker Bernard Foley joked when asked of Simmons’ move south of the border.

Simmons says he now knows where to find a good latte, but the disappointment of his Reds exit still lingers.

“Yeah it was a tough blow to take, but I tried to look to the future and make the improvements I needed,” he said.

“So it’s been head down, bum up, hard work and do what the coaches ask of me.”

Favoured by Cheika for his line-out expertise, Simmons has also shown strong form with ball in hand since being recalled to the starting side in a narrow loss to New Zealand in Dunedin.

Simmons came off the bench in Australia’s last-start victory in Argentina and is hopeful of more minutes on the turf he called home for so long.

“It’s a bit different I guess, but we’re here as Wallabies and we’ve always enjoyed playing in Brisbane,” Simmons said.

“It’s like a bit of a home ground for all of us.”